Self-contained survival device

ABSTRACT

A survival device for persons downed in airplanes, lost in the woods, etc., comprises an aluminum or other light body having right angle legs, each leg having a bore closed by a watertight screw plug, the bores providing space for moisture-proof storage of survival items such as fishing hooks, matches, medical supplies or pills, vitamins, concentrated food, etc., one of the plugs being formed to include a small compass and the other plug being formed to provide a hammerhead, one free end of one leg being slotted to removably receive a combination saw-knife and usable as a handle when hammering or knife cutting, the other leg being usable as a handle when sawing, the saw-knife retaining leg also having means thereon to detachably secure thereto a pen light, the legs also having formed thereon a match scratching surface and secured thereto a polished stainless steel sunreflecting mirror signal plate, a sharpening stone and spaced flat-head screws around which fishing line and the like may be wound.

United States Patent 1 Ludeman Dec. 30, 1975 SELF-CONTAINED SURVIVAL DEVICE [76] Inventor: Russell S. Ludeman, 982 Miller Road, Lake Orion, Mich. 48035 [22] Filed: July 23, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 381,904

Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Assistant Examiner-Douglas B. Farrow 57 ABSTRACT A survival device for persons downed in airplanes, lost in the woods, etc., comprises an aluminum or other light body having right angle legs, each leg having a bore closed by a watertight screw plug, the bores providing space for moisture-proof storage of survival items such as fishing hooks, matches, medical supplies or pills, vitamins, concentrated food, etc., one of the plugs being formed to include a small compass and the other plug being formed to provide a hammerhead, one free end of one leg being slotted to removably receive a combination saw-knife and usable as a handle when hammering or knife cutting, the other leg being usable as a handle when sawing, the saw-knife retaining leg also having means thereon to detachably secure thereto a pen light, the legs also having formed thereon a match scratching surface and secured thereto a polished stainless steel sun-reflecting mirror signal plate, a sharpening stone and spaced flat-head screws around which fishing line and the like may be wound.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 3 ,929,223

SELF-CONTAINED SURVIVAL DEVICE BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to combination tool and survival kit devices, and moreparticularly to a smalland compact, lightweight survival device adapted for use by sportsmen and travelers subject to conditions under which survival until rescue may be encountered- Combination tools, survival kits and the like are, of course, known in the art. However, what some such devices include, others lack, so that no one device known to the applicant is formed to provide all or a maximum combination of features or items, particularly those necessary to survival, as when one is lost in the wilderness, in as small and lightweight device as possible, which are important factors for sportsmen, hikers, small aircraft travelers, and the like.

Accordingly, a main object of the invention is to provide a substantially self-contained, compact and lightweight survival kit or device that includes a maximum number of survival type features and/or tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device that is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, maintain, store and use.

These and other object and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent by reference to the following description and the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION'OF TI-IE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a device embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in FIG. I, with a portion thereof cut away and in cross section.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the device, taken on the plane of line 33 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views taken in the planes of lines 4-4 and 5-5 of FIG. 1, respectively, with portions thereof cut away and in cross section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, the device is constructed around a main body 12, which is preferably, but not necessarily, cast and/or machined of aluminum and formed so as to provide right angle legs 14 and 16. For example, the body 12 could be constructed from one of the several presently available non-metallic materials. While dimensions are not critical, it is contemplated, for example, that the body 12 may be approximately 1 inch thick, the legs being about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long. Actually, the body 12 may be formed in any desired manner, from any suitable material and to any desired dimensions, depending upon the specific particular needs to be encountered.

The leg 14 is bored or cast to provide a chamber 18, the outer end of which is formed with internal threads 20. The chamber 18 may be employed to store fishing or other survival items, such as fish hooks or small lures 22, sinkers 24, small bobbers 26, and the like. The bore 18 is sealed by a plug 28 having external threads 30 and a sealing surface 32 compressing an annular gasket or resilient seal 34 when the plug is hand tightened by grasping the oppositely disposed flats 36. It will be further observed the plug 28 may itself be bored to provide a cavity 38 increasing the volume of chamber LII 2 18. A suitable bore 40 is formed at the external end of the plug 28 to receive, as by a press fit, a small magnetic compass 42 of a type that is already available.

Leg 14 may be further formed with a notched or other friction section 44suitable for striking the wellknown kitchen type match, in the event no such natural surface can be found, and cutout areas 46 and 48 with beveled undercut ends 50 for receiving and frictionally retaining a polished stainless steel sunreflecting signal mirror 51 and a Whetstone 53, respectively, the ends of which are beveled to mate with the undercuts 50.

It will also be noted that the plug 28 may be formed with a cross passage 55 adapted to receive a cord or wire 52 bywhich the device 10, or only the detached plug 28 containing the compass 42, may be carried.

The free end of leg 14 is :formed with a slot 57 adapted to receive the end 59 of the combination member 54 having a saw edge 56 and a knife edge 58, the end 52 having an opening 60 and the leg 14 having an aligned threaded opening 61 to receive the screw 62 having a head with opposed flats 64 adapting the same to behand tightened to removably retain the member 54.

Leg 14 is also formed with a transversely circular channel 66 extending to a cylindrical cavity 68 formed. in leg 16 to receive a battery powered penlight 70, the end 72 of which is retained in cavity 68 and the lamp 74 end 76 of which is removably secured to leg 14 by a suitably shaped clamp 78, which may be merely a stamping, retained by screws 80 having flats 82 enabling hand tightening thereof. The penlight switch 84 is positioned so that it may be operated whether the penlight 70 is attached or removed from the device 10.

Leg 16 is also bored or otherwise formed to provide a chamber 86 closed, in a manner similar to chamber 18, by a threaded plug 88, which may also be bored to provide a chamber increasing the length and volume of chamber 86. Chamber 86 is shown as containing survival items such as kitchen type matches 87 and a bandage 89. Obviously, other small items, such as vitamins, bouillon cubes, medicine and the like may be stored therein. Like plug 28 for leg 14, plug 88 also has a sealing surface 92 compressing a resilient annular gasket or seal 94 to make chamber 86 moisture proof when hand tightened by grasping flats 96. The outer end of plug 88 may be beveled, if desired, at 98 to provide a tapered hammerhead surface I00, in which case leg 14 serves as a hammering handle. During hammering, saw-knife member 58 and/or penlight 70 may be easily removed, if so desired for convenience.

Flat-headed screws or pins 10.2 may be secured to the body 12, on which fishing line or general purpose wire 104 may be stored. Further, leg 16 may be formed with rounded corner portions 106 on which additional line or wire 108 may be wound.

From the above description, it is apparent that the device 10 provides the survival capabilities of whittling, sawing, hammering, providing light, signaling, sharpening, compass reading, watertight storage and exterior storage, all in a small, compact and lightweight unit that can be assembled and disassembled by had, without need for tools.

While the invention has been shown and described in such clear and concise terms as to allow one skilled in the art to practice the same, certain modifications may be possible within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A survival device, comprising a substantially L- shaped single-piece body having discreet first and second legs disposed and joined substantially at right angles to one another so that each of said legs has one free end and one end jointed to said other leg, each of said first and second legs having removably associated with said free end thereof at least one survival tool that requires, for efficient use thereof, use of said second and first legs, respectively, as the handle therefor, each of said legs being formed lengthwise thereof to provide a storage chamber therein, each of said storage chambers having one permanently-closed bottom end and one open end with removable means for sealing the same, the chamber of said second leg opening at the free end of said second leg and the chamber of said first leg opening at the end thereofjoined to said second leg, whereby said closed bottom end of said chamber of said second leg is disposed adjacent but spaced from said open end of said chamber in said first leg and said closed bottom end of said chamber of said first leg is spaced from said free end of said first leg, said chambers being internally threaded and said chamber sealing means comprising externally threaded plugs threadable into said chambers, said plugs having oppositely disposed flats formed on the outer circumference thereof to enable the same to be more easily removed and replaced without use of tools, and said plugs being hollow from the inner ends thereof so as to increase the length and volume of said chambers when said plugs are in chamber-sealing position.

2. A device such as that recited in claim 1, wherein said first-leg tool is a combination saw-knife, said saw- 4 knife tool being removably retained in a slot formed in said free end of said first leg, said first leg serving as the handle when using said knife and said second leg serving as the handle when using said saw.

3. A device such as that recited in claim 2, wherein said second-leg tool is hammer, the striking hammerhead comprising a plug with a flat outer end face threadable into engagement with threads formed on said free end of said second-leg to sealably close said chamber formed in said second leg.

4. A device such as that recited in claim 1, wherein said chamber in said first leg is sealably closed by a threaded plug having compass means secured thereto, said plug having pliable carrying means thereon adapted to carry said device when said plug is assembled or only said compass when said plug is removed.

5. A device such as that recited in claim 1, wherein one surface of said first leg is formed with a channel terminating in a cavity extending into the adjacent outer surface of said second leg, a penlight disposed in said channel and having one end retained in said cavity, the lamp end of said penlight being retained near the free end of said first leg by removable means, whereby the light is directed at the work so that knife cutting and sawing may be done in the dark.

6. A device such as that recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said legs is externally formed with a recess having undercut edges, said recess having disposed therein an element such as a Whetstone or a signalling mirror having mating edges for retention of said element on said device. 

1. A survival device, comprising a substantially L-shaped single-piece body having discreet first and second legs disposed and joined substantially at right angles to one another so that each of said legs has one free end and one end jointed to said other leg, each of said first and second legs having removably associated with said free end thereof at least one survival tool that requires, for efficient use thereof, use of said second and first legs, respectively, as the handle therefor, each of said legs being formed lengthwise thereof to provide a storage chamber therein, each of said storage chambers having one permanentlyclosed bottom end and one open end with removable means for sealing the same, the chamber of said second leg opening at the free end of said second leg and the chamber of said first leg opening at the end thereof joined to said second leg, whereby said closed bottom end of said chamber of said second leg is disposed adjacent but spaced from said open end of said chamber in said first leg and said closed bottom end of said chamber of said first leg is spaced from said free end of said first leg, said chambers being internally threaded and said chamber sealing means comprising externally threaded plugs threadable into said chambers, said plugs having oppositely disposed flats formed on the outer circumference thereof to enable the same to be more easily removed and replaced without use of tools, and said plugs being hollow from the inner ends thereof so as to increase the length and volume of said chambers when said plugs are in chamber-sealing position.
 2. A device such as that recited in claim 1, wherein said first-leg tool is a combination saw-knife, said saw-knife tool being removably retained in a slot formed in said free end of said first leg, said first leg serving as the handle when using said knife and said second leg serving as the handle when using said saw.
 3. A device such as that recited in claim 2, wherein said second-leg tool is hammer, the striking hammerhead comprising a plug with a flat outer end face threadable into engagement with threads formed on said free end of said second-leg to sealably close said chamber formed in said second leg.
 4. A device such as that recited in claim 1, wherein said chamber in said first leg is sealably closed by a threaded plug having compass means secured thereto, said plug having pliable carrying means thereon adapted to carry said device when said plug is assembled or only said compass when said plug is removed.
 5. A device such as that recited in claim 1, wherein one surface of said first leg is formed with a channel terminating in a cavity extending into the adjacent outer surface of said second leg, a penlight disposed in said channel and having one end retained in said cavity, the lamp end of said penlight being retained near the free end of said first leg by removable means, whereby the light is directed at the work so that knife cutting and sawing may be done in the dark.
 6. A device such as that recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said legs is externally formed with a recess having undercut edges, said recess having disposed therein an element such as a whetstone or a signalling mirror having mating edges for retention of said element on said device. 